Portable electric light.



L DHUFVA. PORTABLE ELECTRIC LGHT. APPLICATION msn APR. a. 19m,

Patented De. 10, 1918.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN T. DBUFVA, OF LONGHEADOW, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR. T0 HENRY HYMAN & C0., INC., 0F NEW YGRX, N. Y., A CORPQRATION 0F NEW YORK.

PORTABLE ELEcTmc LIGHT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 10, 1918.

application aad Apri'i 4, 191s. sei-nii mi. 226,583.

To all whom z't may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN T. DRUFVA, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Longmeadow, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Portable Electric Lights, of which the following is a specification,

The invention pertains more articularly to the character of electric flash Ilights to be held in the hand and li hted, as occasion may require, by the inanua movement of a slide applied upon the exterior casing of the device.

My present invention resides more especially in a novel arrangement and construction of parts, including a slide for completing the circuit between the lam and battery and also a usli button or the li e which may be utilize -independentl of the slide for completing the circuit an flashing the light, the Whole being arranged to obviate the accidental short circuiting of the lamp by contact with metal articles,.such as might arise when a flash light, otherwise constructed, is placed in a box of tools.

The flash light of my invention com rises an exterior casing, preferably of insu ating material, a plural cell battery therein, a thumb piece or slide on a. housing or escutcheon secured on the side of the casing, a sprin circuit blade or stri Contained within said housing and secure to said thumb iece or slide, conducting strips within sai casing leading respectively to the positive and negative poles of the battery, and a push button mounted in said housing or escutcheon and adapted independentl of said thumb piece or s ide to complete t e circuit through the lamp and battery, the thumb piece or slide being employed when a more or less ermanent light is required, and the. push utton being made use of when it is desired to produce light dashes, as for signaling.

Mly invention resides more particularly in t e novel means for completing the circuit through the lamp and battery, one contact spi-'ing operable either by the exterior slide or thumb piece or by the push button being adapted to complete such circuit in accordance with the character of light desired to be produced.

The invention will be fully understood from the detailed description hereinafter presented reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a Central longitudinal section, with the wrapping on .the batterypartly broken away, of a portable Hash light embodylng the invention, the casing of the Hash li lit being shown in this instance as a ber tu e;

Fig. 2 is a central vertical section through the tubular ortion of the flash light, taken on the dott-eg line 2-2 of Fig. l;

Fig. is a detached inner face view of the housing or escutcheon applied to the ex- .tenor casing and containing the circuit makingvand breaking conducting` spring;

ig. 4 is a transverse section through the same and a ortion of the exterior casing of the flash ight, taken on the dotted line Fig. 5 is a similar section of4 the saine, taken on the dotted line 5 5 of Fig. 3, and

Fig. 6 is a detached perspective view on a larger scale of the circuit making and breaking spring removed from the exterior housing or escutcheon present on the casing of the flash light.

In the drawings, 10 designates a tubular fiber or other insulating casing, 11 a plural cell battery therein, 12 a wrapping of insulating material on said battery, 13 a screw-l cap of -customary construction closing `the lower end of said casing and engagin a metal sleeve 14 thereon, 15 a conduct-ing spring compressed between the negative pole of the battery and the inner surface of said cap, 16 a sleeve screwed u on a sleeve 17 fastened upon the outer en of said casing,

' 18 a customary lens held by said sleeve 16,

19 a reflector within the outer end of the casingl and 20 an electric bulb of known character having its terminal sleeve 21 screwed into the usual threaded sleeve 22 at the inner end of said reflector, the other terminal 23 of the lamp bein held in engagement with the positive po e 24 of the battery by means of the spring 15.

Within the casing 10 are two normally separated conducting strips 25, 26, the lolwer end of the strip 26 being in electrical connection with the negative pole of the battery, as usual, and the u per end of the strip 25 eing carried upwar l to the upper edge of the casin 10 and in eiectrical connection with the re ector 19. The inner end of the strip 26 is secured to one wing of a metal escutcheon or housing 27 by an eyelet 28,

which aids in securing the escutcheon Iupon the side of the casing 10, and said strip 26 is therefore in electrical connection with said escutcheon or housing. The inner end of the strip 25 is secured to the casing 10 by means of. an eyelet 29 whose outer end is exposed within the escutcheon or housing 27 but is not normally in electrical connection therewith. The housing is rigidly secured in position upon the casin by the aforesaid eelet 28 and an additional eyelet 30. Upon t e exterior flat face of the escutcheon or housing 27 is mounted a thumb-piece or slide 31 preferably formed from sheet metal and having, at op osite sides, tongues 32 which are inserted t irough slots inthe escutcheon or housing 27 and bent toward each other, not only to secure the thumb-piece or slide in position, but also to eiiibi'wce one portion of a conducting spring 33 .whicli' is confined within the escutcheon or housing 2'(v and recessed at op osite edges, as at 34, to admit the inner en( s of the tongues 32. The spring 33 is, by means of the inwardl bent inner ends of the tongues 32, clamps against, the inner face of the escutcheon or housing 27 but is movable with the thumb-piece or slide 31. The spring 33 is utilized to complete the circuit through the lamp and battery when moved into engagement with the eyelet 29, said Spring normally being free of said eyelet, although at all times having its forward end over said eyelet. The spring 33 is of special construction, having a body portion 35 which lies flat against the inner wall of the escutcheon or housing 27, and an inner return or bent portion 36 which is over the eyelet 29 and ssesses a shoulder 37 and a foot portion 3 which engages and may ride along the casing 10; and said ortion 36 is preferably sliglhtl spaced rom the adjacent surface of t e ody 35 of the spring 33. The spring 33 has a direct sliding movement ,when actuated by the thumbpiece 31, and when moved forwardl the shoulder 37 thereon engages the eye et 29 and completes'the circuit. The spring 33 is yieldingly locked in its normal inoperative and in its operative positions by means of a small stud 39 rojectin inwardly7 from the escutcheon or iousing 2 and adapted to receive one or the other of the two holes 40, 41 formed in the lower end of the spring 33. In Fig. 3 I illustrate the hole 40 as being engaged by the stud 39, and when the thumbpiece 31 and spring 33 are slid forwardly, the hole 40 will be sprung from Vover the stud 39, and when the hole 41 reaches said stud it will snap upon the saine. The lower,

end of the spring 33 is free to have limited spring movement toward and from the adjacent suraces of the escutcheon or housing 66 27,' and said end of the spring 33 having -to be inde endently the holes 40, 41 coperates with the stud 39 in forming a spring latch for yieldingly locking the spring 33 in either of its two positions.

The housing or escutcheon 27 is formed with an aperture 42 in which is movably mounted a push-button 43 whose inner edge `is flanged so as to prevent the push-button from escaping from the escutcheoii or housing 27, as shown in Fig. 1, and said edge of said push-button is against the upper end o f the body of the spring 33. The upper portion of the spring 33v is always over or in line with the stud 29, and hence the pushbutton 43 may be ein loyed to press the spring against the stu 29 for completing t e circuit. The push-button 43 .will be made use of when it is desired to ash the light, as in giving si nuls, Whereas the slide or thumb-piece 31 will be employed to move the spring 33 into engagement with the stud 29 w en it is desired to have a more or less permanent or steady li ht. The one spring 33 cooperates with bot the thumb-piece or slide 31 -and the push-button 43, so that the user of the device may at his option flash the light or have a permanent light.

n The upper end of the conducting strip 25 is Anot in electrical connection with the sleeves 16, 17,-and the upper portion of said strip is preferabl secured to the casing 10 by an eyelet 44 w ose outer portion'is counter-sunk within the material of the casing l0, so as to be free of the sleeve 17.

The operation of theportable electrical light hereinbefore described will be understood .without further detailed explanation. The pur ose of the invention is to rovide a lash light whose circuit will not e completed, exce t on the movement of the slide or push utton 43, and the invention re sides in the means `for making and breakin the circuit, the other features of the flas light being of usual construction.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is:

1. A circuit switch-mechanism for orta ble electric lights comprising, in com ination, a metal escutcheonhaving a thumbpiece slidabl mounted on its outer face and a spring slit ably mounted on its inner, face and connected with said thumb-piece to slide therewith to circuit closing position, and a push-button mounted in said escutcheon independeiitly of said thumb-piece and spring and in line with the free end of said s ring and adapted when 'manually presse inwardlv to engage said end of said sprin and fles the spring to circuit closing position, said spring alwa s being in osition exed by sai pushb utton or s idby said thumb-piece as occasion may require, to complete the circuit.

2. A circuit switch-mechanism for ortable electric lights comprising, in com ina- 180 yuli tion, a metal escutcheon having a thumbpiece slidably mounted on its outer face and a spring slidablv mounted on its inner face and connected with said thumb-piece to slide therewith to circuit closing position, and a push-button mounted in said escutcheon independently of said thumb-piece and spring and in line with the free end of said spring and adapted when manually pressed inwardly to engage said end of said spring and flex the spring to circuit closing position, said spring alwa s being in position to be independently flexed by said pushbutton or slid by said thumb-piece, as occasion may require, to complete the circuit, and said escutcheon having a hole in which said push-button is freely movable and said push-button having at its inner edge a flange ltolprevent its escape outwardlv from said 3. A circuit switch-mechanism for portable electric lights comprising, in combinalion, a metal escutcheon having a thumbpiece slidably mounted on its outer face and a spring slidably mounted on its inner face and connected with said thumb-piece to slide therewith to circuit closing position, and a push-button mounted in said escutcheon independently of said thumb-piece and spring and in line with the free end of said s ring and adapted when manually presse inwardly to engage said end of said spring and flex the spring to circuit closing position, said spring always being in position to be independently flexed by said push-button or slid by said thumb-piece, as occasion may require, to complete the circuit, and said escutcheon having parallel guide slots in its outer face and said thumb-piece having side fingers extending inwardly through said slots and folded toward each other u on said spring for securing the same against the inner surface of the escutcheon, and said spring having recesses in its o posite edges to receive and interlock the spring with said fingers.

4. A circuit switch mechanism forortable electric lights comprising, in com ination, a metal escutclieon having a thumbpiece slidably mounted on its outer face and a spring strip within said escutcheon and connected with said thumb-piece to slide therewith to circuit closin position and a push-button mounted in said' escutcheon independently of said thumb-piece and in line with the free end of said spring and adapted when manually pressed inwardly to ex the spring to circuit closing position, said spring always being in position to be independently flexed by said push-button or slid by said thumb-piece7 as occasion may require, to complete the circuit, and said spring having a body portion and a return inwardly bent portion having a shoulder to electrically connect with a circuit conductor, and said return bent portion being normally slightly separated from the body of said spring.

5. A circuit switch mechanism for portable electric lights comprising, in combination, a metal cscutcheon having a thumbpiece slidably mounted on its outer face and a spring slidably mounted on its inner face and connected with said thumb-piece to slide therewith to circuit closing position, a pushbutton mounted in said escutcheon independentlv of said thumb-piece and in line with the free end of said spring and adapted when manually pressed inwardly to engage and flex the spring to circuit closing position, said spring being in position to be independentlv flexed by said push-button or slid by said thumb-piece, as occasion may require, to complete the circuit, and means for yieldingly locking said spring in its inoperative and operative positions, comprising a stud extending inwardly from said escutcheon, and holes provided in said spring to engage said stud in the respective positions of said spring. f:

6, A circuit switch mechanism for portable electric lights comprising, in combination, an escutcheon having a thumb-piece slidably mounted on its outer face and a spring slidably mounted within the escutclieon and connected to said thumb-piece to slide therewith to circuit closing position, and a usb-button mounted in said escutclicon in ependentl of said thumb-piece and in line with the ree end of said spring and adapted when manually pressed inwardly to flex the spring to circuit closing position, said spring always being in position to be independently flexed by said push-button or slid by said thumb-piece, as occasion may r uire, to complete the circuit.

igned at Springfield. in the county of Hampden, and State of Massachusetts, this 2nd day cfa-April, A. D. 1918.

JOHN T. DRUFVA.

Witnesses:

W. H. BLAKE, HENRY HYMAN. 

